Thursday, June 9, 2011

Alexander Central softball pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson is the N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year for the second straight year.

The 5-foot-10 junior right-handed pitcher, now a finalist for Gatorade's national award, led the Cougars (31-2) to the Class 4A state championship this past season. Wilkinson posted a 31-2 with a 0.66 ERA and 370 strikeouts in 212 innings pitched.

Most Valuable Player of the state championship series in 2009 and 2011, she batted .358 with seven home runs and 34 RBI this spring. Wilkinson is a two-time Charlotte Observer Player of the Year and has twice been named a Second Team High School All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Wilkinson has maintained a 3.88 GPA in the classroom. Also a talented musician, she has volunteered locally on behalf of Christmas toy drives for needy children and fundraising campaigns to benefit cancer research.

“Wilkinson is very, very good,” said Wayne Deans, head coach of rival D.H. Conley High. “She’s not easily rattled and she has great command of any pitch she wants to throw.”

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

For the third straight year, former Butler girls basketball star Cierra Burdick will play for her country.

After winning gold medals the past two summers, Burdick was selected for the USA Basketball U19 team, which will play in the U19 World Championships in Chile.

The team will train July 11-15 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Burdick, signed to Tennessee, is a two time N.C. Parade, two-time N.C. Associated Press and two-time Charlotte Observer player of the year. She’s made multiple All-America teams the past two seasons and played in the McDonald’s All-America game.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Providence High catcher Brett Austin, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior, was selected No. 54 in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Austin, 18, went to the San Diego Padres.

He'd previously signed with N.C. State for college.

Austin was the 2010 Southwestern 4A player of the year and N.C. player of the year. This season, he again made the Southwestern 4A all-conference team and hit .537 with 12 home runs, 10 doubles and 38 RBIs. He stole 14 bases and scored 47 runs.

He comes to Latin from Butler High School in Matthews, where he has served as head baseball coach since the school was opened in 1997. Cousar also served at Butler as an assistant football coach and physical education instructor with an emphasis on health issues, weight training and conditioning. He previously served as the head baseball coach, assistant football coach, and physical education and biology instructor at Anson Senior High School.

Cousar, who is known for his strong relationships with students and players, was named the N.C. Baseball Coaches Association Region 6 4A Coach of the Year in 1991, 1999 and 2007. He was Conference Coach of the Year in 1985, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1999, 2002 and 2007. His teams’ overall record is more than 400 wins, nine conference championships and 20 appearances in state playoffs. He has garnered 22 winning seasons in his 26 years as a baseball coach.

A former associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds, Cousar also is the founder of Batter-up Baseball Camps and served as co-director of the intramural program at Gardner-Webb University and as an assistant coach on American Legion teams, including the N.C. Legion State Championship team in 1987. Cousar earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education with an endorsement in biology from Gardner-Webb University.